Rutgers dismisses Nelson from its team

Rutgers dismissed Philip Nelson from its football team Tuesday morning, one day after he was charged with first- and third-degree assault for his role in a fight that left 24-year-old Isaac Kolstad clinging to his life.

“The Rutgers football family’s thoughts and prayers are with Isaac Kolstad and his family,” Rutgers coach Kyle Flood in the statement, announcing Nelson's release.

Nelson, 20, was a starting quarterback for the Gophers the past two season before deciding to transfer in January and soon landing at Rutgers. He went through spring practice with the Scarlet Knights and was prepared to sit out this fall, under NCAA transfer rules. Nelson was looking forward to playing the 2015 and 2016 seasons with Rutgers before being arrested Saturday.

Joe Christensen covered Major League Baseball for 15 years, including three seasons at the Baltimore Sun and eight at the Star Tribune, before switching to the college football beat. He’s a Faribault, Minn., native who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1996. He covered Jim Wacker’s Gophers for the Minnesota Daily and also wrote about USC, UCLA and the Rose Bowl for the Riverside Press-Enterprise before getting this chance to cover football again. Email Joe to talk about the Gophers.